NBPRS State of the Industry

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National Black Public Relations Release Survey Citing Need for Industry to Intensify Efforts to Increase Diversity and Strengthen Partnerships with Smaller Firms

Survey results released today at an industry summit in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, DC -The National Black Public Relations Society Inc. (NBPRS), the foremost organization for image-makers and brand strategists, run by professionals for professionals, challenged major public relations agencies to intensify its efforts to improve diversity and to strengthen its partnerships with smaller, black-owned firms.

NBPRS released its white paper, 2015 State of the PR Industry: Defining & Delivering on the Promise of Diversity, at its one-day, invitation-only summit, held today at the Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, D.C. The off-the-record discussion is setting the direction for the future state of the organization – and the industry. Dr. Rochelle L. Ford, professor and chair, Newhouse School, Syracuse University, and Cedric Brown, research assistant, Syracuse University authored the white paper. Clarke L. Caywood, full professor, Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University, worked with Ford and Brown on analyzing the results. There were 199 respondents to this online survey that was emailed to its members who were asked to distribute it to other professionals and associates.

“This summit is about real solutions, real answers, and real trackable metrics,” said Richelle Payne, president, NBPRS, Inc. “This white paper lays out several key issues that will help us re-energize our organization and strengthen ties with PR agencies and professionals. The time is now for us to harness the energy of this white paper and today’s summit to bring lasting change.”

Click here to download the full report.

Click here to download an infographic.

Four of the major themes of this survey’s findings are:

  • Progress has been made by U.S. PR practitioners from the black diaspora.
    • Blacks are found in all market segments including: corporate (20.6 percent), agency (23.8 percent), government (6.3 percent), nonprofit (12.2 percent), education (10 percent). Blacks also are well-represented at mid-level positions in agencies.
  • Professionals desire PR career sustainability and career growth.
    • Black practitioners are looking for assistance from the profession for networking, professional development and career advancement, particularly understanding the risks and benefits of sponsors.
  • Networking is critical to the success of black professionals, leading to career advancement and new business development for entrepreneurs.
    • There’s a greater need for the industry to focus its attention on enhancing vendor relations and supplier diversity, creating more subcontracting opportunities for large agencies to collaborate with small and minority owned businesses.
  • Professional development workshops are desired to help black professionals remain competitive and able to deliver value.
    • There needs to be greater opportunities for black professionals to get access to workshops that will enable them to stay current with digital and social media technology and tools. They also want tools to help create and/or grow their businesses.

 

Dr. Ford said the ability for black PR professionals to be global storytellers is absolutely critical. What the results also show is that while diversity is not viewed as a challenge, there are still few black communicators in leadership roles where they work. “We hope this will help people to listen, talk and develop actionable steps,” she said.

 

Representatives from major corporations, organizations and agencies, including Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo, GolinHarris, Mitchell Communications Group, MSL Group, Edelman and the PR Council are participating.

 

During the daylong summit, NBPRS board members are discussing and developing specific actionable solutions to help increase diversity, focusing on mid-career practitioners across the industry and agencies. They also will look to create strategies to strengthen competencies and increase opportunities for black-owned businesses.

 

An exciting and defining element of the Summit is the opening session with Kevin Powell, one of the nation’s most acclaimed political, cultural, literary and hip-hop voices and author of the highly-anticipated memoir The Education of Kevin Powell: A Boy’s Journey into Manhood.

Sponsors for this year’s Summit are: Coca-Cola, GolinHarris, Edelman and Safeway.

About the National Black Public Relations Society, Inc.

Since its founding in 1997, the National Black Public Relations Society, Inc. has served as an advocate for black professionals in the public relations, media relations, corporate communications, investor relations, government affairs, community relations and related fields. For more information, visit www.nbprs.org. Follow us on Twitter @nbprs.